Bells Beach ready for the battle of the underdogs

22 March 2016 |
Surfing

It's that time of the year. The endless right-handers of Bells Beach are ready for the world's best surfers. Mason Ho and Dusty Payne will replace Filipe Toledo and Jack Freestone, who recently got injured.

The Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach 2016 hits Torquay, Victoria, from March 24th through April 5th, with Matt Wilkinson on top of the rankings. He has been training hard with Glenn Hall to step up his game.

"We've found a good balance over the last few months. Glenn has helped me realized that I don't want to wonder if I could have done better on tour. I'm still having a lot of fun, but I'm taking better care of myself, and that has translated into results," explained Wilkinson.

This year, Bells Beach will see more changes in the Round 1 draw. Alejo Muniz, Bede Durbidge, and Owen Wright join Toledo and Freestone on the no-go list. Their positions will be replaced by Sebastian Zietz, Stuart Kennedy, and Adam Melling.

The women's competition kicks off with Tyler Wright at the top of the leaderboard. She will attack the defending champion, Carissa Moore, knowing she is competing in home waters.

"I'm focused this year. 2015 was a bit of an off year for me, and I've had a few close years on tour with regards to the title, but that's my goal for my next few seasons. 2016 is off to a good start, and I aim to keep it rolling at Bells," added Wright.